The design of scaffolds with an intricate and controlled internal structure represents a
challenge for Tissue Engineering. Several scaffold manufacturing techniques allow the
creation of complex and random architectures, but have little or no control over geometrical
parameters such as pore size, shape and interconnectivity- things that are essential for tissue
regeneration. The combined use of CAD software and layer manufacturing techniques allow
a high degree of control over those parameters, resulting in reproducible geometrical
architectures. However, the design of the complex and intricate network of channels that are
required in conventional CAD, is extremely time consuming: manually setting thousands of
different geometrical parameters may require several days in which to design the individual
scaffold structures. This research proposes an automated design methodology in order to
overcome those limitations. The combined use of Object Oriented Programming and
advanced CAD software, allows the rapid generation of thousands of different geometrical
elements. Each has a different set of parameters that can be changed by the software, either
randomly or according to a given mathematical formula, so that they match the different
distribution of geometrical elements such as pore size and pore interconnectivity.
This work describes a methodology that has been used to design five cubic scaffolds with
pore size ranging from about 200 to 800 µm, each with an increased complexity of the
internal geometry.Mechanical Engineerin
